Russia to spend USD 34 million on World Cup training grounds

Moscow: Russia will spend USD 34 million on training grounds for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Preparation programme for the global football event includes construction and renovation of 113 training facilities, reported a news agency.

Forty-eight of them are listed as pre-match training grounds, while the other 65 are listed as grounds at team base camps, local sports media R-Sport said.

The overall cost of the World Cup is estimated at USD 20 billion. Most of the money will be spent on the 12 stadiums and relevant infrastructure in the 11 host cities. Last year, Russia's preparation work for the World Cup won recognition from football governing body FIFA. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke believed the preparation work were on track.

Currently, only two of the stadiums are ready for the games, which are the Kazan Arena and the Sochi Olympic Fisht Stadium. Still, both of the venues are yet to host first official football matches. Other host cities haven't entered the construction process yet. In Moscow, a 45,000-seat venue is being constructed now, slating for the 2014-2015 season, R-Sport said.

Moscow's iconic Luzhniki Stadium will undergo reconstruction soon. It will be used for the Confederations Cup in 2017, the opening match, a semifinal and the final of the 2018 World Cup.

Built in 1956, it hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Champions League final and the 2013 IAAF World Championships. In the original plan, the stadium will have a holding capacity of 90,000 spectators. The refurbished venue will allocate 2,000 VIP seats, 2,000 places for media and 160 commentator positions.